What public speaking is really all about is delivering something of value to your audience. That’s it. If people in your audience walk away with something of value they’ll consider you – and the speech – a success. That something of value can be feeling better about themselves, their job, understanding an idea or concept better, even feeling happy or entertained – if you can accomplish any of those things – you were effective as a public speaker. Give yourself a round of applause.
Identify your message - your message needs to be clear – what is it that you want people to do? Sleep more? Take better care of themselves? Be kind to one another? What makes your message special? How does your message stand out from the crowd?
Your personal style and the subject matter of your speech should dictate the types of props you can use. For example, don’t use a humorous prop with a serious subject. Props can be simple or complex – they don’t have to be elaborate – the key to using an effective prop is that it should help convey your message – no more, no less.
Identify your audience – who is your target audience? Who are your attempting to deliver your message to? Is it teachers? Drug addicts? Can you identify with your audience, and even more importantly, can they identify with you?
Identify an action plan – you need to explain to your audience – in precise detail – how your audience can succeed at what you’re inspiring them to do. They need a roadmap for success.
A little pre-planning and practice can go a long way toward alleviating that paralyzing fear of getting up in front of a crowd – the more knowledgeable you are about your subject, the more confident you’ll be in your presentation, and the more effective a speaker you’ll be. Keep in mind that almost all audiences – from the guests at a wedding to a political fundraiser – want you to do well, so the chances of tomatoes being tossed in your direction are slight.
Props can be used very effectively to help draw attention to key points of your presentation – visual aids of any sort, such as slides or flipcharts - can deliver your message more effectively to the visual learners in your audience. They can also add variety and a great deal of additional dimension to your speech, and make your key points even more noticeable.
Some speakers find it easy to use props to help keep them on track with what they want to say during their presentation. For example, I know one man who wears a different hat for each segment of his speech – he changes the hat and replaces it with another when he goes to the next segment. The hats remind him of key points to cover in each portion of his speech.
The word “props” actually derives from an old theatrical term – “property.” In public speaking terms it means any object or item that the speaker uses to help get their message across to the audience. That could mean anything from a podium to a laser pointer, a flipchart to a PowerPoint projector, handouts to a DVD player. Virtually anything can be used as a prop.
Your presentation should be interesting - regardless of topic. Don’t drone on and on and on for days about some boring little detail - tell them the facts and get out of the way. Don’t be one of those public speakers who can’t shut up - who loves the sound of their own voice so much they just can’t seem to stop talking. Believe me, your audience will be too polite to say it, but they’ll wish you put a sock in it.
Not at all. But consider this - if your audience isn’t listening – if you’re boring them, you’re not delivering your message in an effective manner. And if you’re not getting through to them – you’re wasting your time and your message is being lost. You don’t have to become a comedian to be a good, but you do have to know when to use humor to get your message across.
Public speaking ranks right up there with public torture for most people - they’d rather die than get up in front of a room full of strangers and give a speech of some sort. That’s a pretty silly reaction, considering public speaking really isn’t all that difficult - but there you have it.